Lead Poisoning Risk From Ceramics Shouldn’t Be Glazed Over

A family of five in New York City, including a young child, developed lead poisoning that was determined to be from use of ceramic cookware from Mexico, researchers said.

Elevated blood lead levels were discovered in the 3-year-old child during routine health screenings over several years, and subsequent testing of the child’s two adult siblings, as well as the two parents, all revealed elevated lead levels, reported Paromita Hore, PhD, of the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, and colleagues.

Lead was detected in the glazed interior of ceramic ware that the family purchased in Mexico, which they were using to cook, store meals, and make coffee, the authors noted in the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.

Hore and team cautioned that lead levels in traditional ceramic ware around the world can be “thousands of times higher” than U.S. limits, and that glaze or paint can transfer to food or drinks prepared or stored in these products. In fact, the New York Department of Health has linked ceramic ware from Ecuador, Mexico, Morocco, Turkey, the U.S., and Uzbekistan to cases of lead poisoning in children and adults.

This case was first discovered in September 2017, when the 3-year-old child had a blood lead level of 7 μg/dL, above the CDC reference value of 5 μg/dL, but below the Department of Health threshold of 10 μg/dL required for a home inspection. When the child had lead levels of 5 μg/dL in 2018, the Department of Health sent a letter to the family, recommending testing all family members and “avoiding the use of clay pots and dishes from other countries.” The family declined a home inspection.

In November 2020, the child’s entire family was screened for lead and all had blood lead levels ranging from 5 μg/dL to 53 μg/dL. During the follow-up risk assessment, the Department of Health learned that the family was using ceramic cookware from Mexico. The mother said she used Mexican spices for cooking and the father said he engaged in “household renovation activities,” but the Department of Health was unable to collect samples, as the family again declined a home inspection.

After they stopped using the ceramic cookware, the family’s blood lead levels declined to 2-21 μg/dL within 4 months, and 1-6 μg/dL after 14 to 16 months, Hore and colleagues noted.

The authors said that the Department of Health issued press releases in May 2017 and September 2021 about the risks of lead exposure in ceramic ware, and also issued a health advisory in 2021. However, they concluded that “ultimately, source control … requires the engagement of global stakeholders.”